BARJES ALOTAIBI
Barjes began his career with the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco), which spanned over 30 years, of which 20+ were in the Aviation Department. He has extensive management and international flying experience in various types of aircraft from the Twin Otter to Boeing 737NG. During his career with Aramco, he assumed several management positions such as Chief Pilot, Fleet Manager, Sr. Training Captain, and Safety pilot. He developed and established a standard operating procedures manual and checklists that fit different types of operations, i.e. MEDVAC, Search and Rescue, Spray mission over the Persian Gulf to combat oil spills, Photo missions, and VIP flights.
Barjes was involved in the training, development, and the standardization process. Along with selecting appropriate candidates to join Aramco’s Aviation Department, he negotiated contracts, involving different Government agencies, both civilian and military, to identify and solve outstanding issues and to insure smooth operations to all parties involved.
GARY GOLDSMITH
Gary is a Project Manager currently working at ARCS Aviation to manage our Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) Phase III Project. He is responsible for organizing and planning meetings, controlling time management, monitoring progress, and analyzing and managing project risk as well as other various project management duties. Gary is a strong leader with an extensive background in the aviation industry, military and non-military, who has excellent decision making skills and always maintains a high level of integrity.
Having over 18 years of experience as a military pilot, Gary served as: AC-130U Aircraft Commander, Squadron Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, and Director of Operations. Gary is currently a First Officer at Southwest Airlines. Gary obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Economics from Virginia Military Institute, and his Master of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma.
NATALIE LAFLAM
Natalie LaFlam is a Marketing & Account Coordinator at ARCS Aviation. Natalie is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications & Advertising. She is also a private pilot and National Guard reservist. Natalie handles all our visual communications, keeps our website and social media up to date, and helps us put our best foot forward when presenting to clients. She also assists the Project Manager (PM) in overseeing day-to-day project progress, identifying potential issue(s), and providing recommendations to the PM and management team.
The combination of her aviation and military knowledge with marketing and project coordination experience is a valuable asset to the ARCS Team!
SACHA BERWIN
Sacha Berwin is the Chief Software Architect at ARCS Aviation, with a wide range of expertise specializing in AI, ML, AR, VR, MR, and XR. Sacha is the lead of our team of developers here at ARCS Aviation and our go-to software development Subject Matter Expert. Sacha has over 30 years of experience in technology, with advanced programming skills in several languages including C++, C#, Python, Java, Swift, and Obj. C. He has translated those skills to develop high-level Augmented Reality systems for ARCS Aviation.
Sacha has helped the capabilities of ARCS grow immensely and continues to progress our team of developers with a positive attitude. Sacha is a problem solver and an asset to our team!
SYDNEY DUNAWAY
Sydney Dunaway is the Operations Manager at ARCS Aviation, with previous leadership and management experience. She is a Tennessee Technological University graduate, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Communications and Event Planning.
Sydney manages our corporate main office in Cookeville, TN as well as handles employee relations, manpower optimization, process improvement, and more. She has an excellent organization skills and helps keep the team running smoothly at all times. ARCS Aviation believes that Sydney’s efficiency and attention to detail makes her a valuable asset to the team!
BRIAN BLECK
Brian Bleck is the Lead Software Developer at ARCS Aviation, with a wide range of expertise and skills! He aids in leading projects, assisting management, and helping supervise our team of developers.
Brian gained programming knowledge at the University of New Mexico and has almost 4 years of experience in both research and software development. While at the University of New Mexico, he gained experience in developing AR apps built for the HoloLens using C# and Unity. Brian’s attention to detail and problem-solving skills are a valuable asset to both our ARCS Aviation and development team!
THOMAS VANDERHEYDEN
Thomas has a broad range of experience and has a unique capability of developing technical manuals for aviation, Civilian and Military alike. He was a distinguished Graduate from USAF Pilot Training. He was instructor and examiner in the F-15 Eagle and completed his career as a team leader at the Joint Command Center, US Central Command Headquarters.
Thomas graduated from Louisiana Tech University with BS in Aviation and earned a MA degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University. Thomas is working closely with our Instructional Designers that convert manuals into online digital format or interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) training; to assure the quality of work complies with the standard.
SEAN MCNULTY
Sean McNulty acts as our Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Researcher at ARCS Aviation; he has a wide range of expertise in data collection, data analysis, and critical thinking. Sean is a research assistant at the University of Montana, focusing on Machine Learning and Cyber Security. He assists our team with anything related to AI, ML, and Python.
Sean holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Montana. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the same University, majoring in Physics. His research skills are a critical component of the development team!
NATHAN MELTON
Nathan Melton is the newest Software Developer to join the ARCS Aviation team. Nathan began working at ARCS as an intern in March 2021 and later joined the development team full-time! Nathan obtained his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Tennessee Technological University, where he volunteered in the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA).
Nathan has a background in computer science, development, and design. He has extensive experience developing augmented reality and mobile applications for productions, as well as prototyping for high-stakes environments. Nathan’s skills are a valuable asset to the ARCS development team!